To Love And Protect
by FredTheBedHead
Summary: BBRae oneshot for Eternal Loss, written by me, thought of by Eternal Loss! When Malchior breaks loose, Raven and Beast Boy are forced to realise their feelings for each other...


Right: this is a bb/rae one shot for Eternal Loss. Eternal Loss wrote the story line, I wrote the story and then Eternal Loss did a spelling/grammar check, which I've just gone back on, because it was in American grammar and I'm English **:p. **Hope you enjoy it!

Raven clamped her hands over her ears, desperately trying to keep out the

incessant whisper seeping through her ears and into her brain like sickly honey.

The voice pounded at her weak defences until she lowered her hands and

surrendered to the poison trickling into her thoughts.

'Raven' it called, and she tried her hardest to ignore it, but still it carried

on.

'Raven let me out, Raven'

Amethyst eyes squeezed tightly shut against the threatening flow of salty tears,

hands balled into fist, the darkest Titan threw up walls against the emotion

spreading throughout her mind. But she knew that it was no use, he would break

through, just as he did last time, and she would become but a pawn in his plans

again.

Trapped inside his papery prison, Malchior grinned as he listened to the sounds

of her struggle with her own feelings. He could not let her escape this time,

not now that he had worked so hard to get her under his thumb. He called to her

constantly, wearing her down until she couldn't take it anymore. He was waiting

for her to loose control, to let him out in her desperation.

The battle of wills continued long into the night, each call of her name wearing

down the darkest titan until she was exhausted and desperate for the sleep that

would not come to her.

Unknown by the two warriors, a second battle was being fought outside the door.

Beast Boy leaned against the door, afraid to enter Ravens domain, but wanting to

help her in every way he could. Sliding down to the floor he weighed out the

options and outcomes in his head. Not particularly fond of being thrown out of

the window, it wasn't until he heard sobbing coming from behind the steel door

that he decided, Ravens room or not, he was going in to help her.

Sliding open the door, he stepped cautiously inside, not knowing what sight

would greet him. What he saw was not what he expected. Raven was curled up on

the floor, the chest containing Malchiors book within reach of her fingertips

and the fight in her mind being played out upon her face.

Raven looked up to the boy standing over her and prayed in her head to him, not

trusting her voice. 'Help me'. She said. Bare green arms reached down to her and

she was enveloped in a warm embrace, turning into her rescuer and sobbing into

the muscles on his chest.

Beast Boy could feel her hot tears running down his bare chest and it made him

ache with a longing to help her, do anything to stop her crying, because this

wasn't Raven. Not his Raven, because his Raven would never cry. Shout and

scream, sometimes, but never cry.

Relaxing into the arms that held her, Raven looked up to the person holding her

to see Beast Boys worried face gazing back down at her. The voice having

stopped calling her, admitting its defeat, Raven let all else go and smiled.

The surprise at her action was evident on the older boys face, but he returned

the movement and then shifted to pull her onto his lap so he could keep his arms

around her in a more comfortable position. Both teens blushed and looked away

from each other, unsure of what to say next.

It was Raven who decided what would happen next by falling asleep against the

warmth of Beast Boys body. BB relaxed and looked down at the girl in his arms.

She was really quite beautiful, when he could look at her this way; at peace.

He lifted her up carefully and put her onto her Queen sized bed, pulling the

lavender sheets over her. He watched as she moved into a more comfortable

position, still deep in slumber and before he could help himself, he felt his

head tilt down and he placed his lips smoothly on top of hers before turning and

running out of the room.

Unfortunately for them all, that tiny gesture was all that was needed. Though

the girl herself was fast asleep; her emotions were wide awake and going

haywire. Black energy reached out to every object that it could and began its

destruction of her belongings. Books shredded themselves and objects were

tossed into the air. In the middle of the frenzy, Malchiors chest had

splintered and the book was being mercilessly torn apart page by page by the

emotionally disturbed teen's unchecked powers. As the storm died down, the books

cover fell to the floor, but her unconscious desire had spread its contents

across the room, irreparable.

Raven slept still, exhausted from her emotions and battle, and did not notice

the figure that stood in the corner of her room cackling quietly to itself.

White hair streaming down his back, Malchior stood in all his human form glory

laughing at his freedom.

'Who would have though, that all that was needed was to destroy the book?'

Arrogant as always, Malchior began to plot inside his head. 'Of course, a girl

as small and stupid as her could not really defeat me' he thought to himself.

'It's just because she had home advantage. Well, not this time, this time I

choose the battle grounds!' And with that in mind, he melted into a swirl of

magic, cautious of capture before he could lay out his plans.

Choosing his grounds carefully, Malchior reared up into his dragon shape and

began to destroy everything in his path in the cliché monster way, choosing the

city as his playground and the buildings as his toys.

Raven awoke to the sound of beeping and reached groggily for her communicator to

see what the problem was. What she saw almost made her scream. Robin had

loaded up a video link to the scene of whatever was happening and she could

clearly see the black dragon swinging his tail like a baseball bat at the

skyscrapers in the city. Desperate to prove herself wrong, she sat up and

looked for Malchiors prison, but was nearly reduced to tears at the destruction

that had taken her room, the dragons prison shredded.

Pounding sounded at her door and the team burst through and charged at her.

"Raven!" Robin screamed "Why did you let him lose?"

"I didn't." she protested.

Robin regarded her before his expression softened and Beast Boy pulled her to

her feet.

It doesn't matter how he got out, but he is, and we need to stop him. He said

wisely, shocking the rest of the team into silence before Robin recovered and

yelled.

"Titans, Go!"

Raven flew towards that dragon, trying to quell the turmoil her heart was in.

It was beginning to affect her powers. Leaping into action she reached out with

black energy in and attempt to bury the dragon under a mound of city buses and

lamp posts. But Malchior was ready for this attack plan, and he simply batted

away the objects as if they were having a mild game of baseball. Still

exhausted and with emotions running amok, Raven began to find that her powers

were dwindling and she sank to the ground panting. Malchior took advantage of

this momentary lapse in concentration to hoist her into the air in one gigantic

claw. Raven struggled but couldn't seem to find the strength to pry the claw

from around her. Malchior began to laugh, rumbling cackles sounding through out

the city as he watching Raven become paler and weaker.

"You're pathetic." He crowed. You've got no book to lock me in now have you? You

couldn't stop me last time without it and you wont now!" And with that he launched

Raven into the air, and she, unable to coax up the power needed for levitation.

Plummeted to the ground and landed with a crack audible to the other Titans who

had been launching futile attempts at getting the dragon to let her down.

Beast Boy watched Raven fall with horror etched across his face, an unending

scream voicing her name. Seeing her crash into the pavement became the last

straw and he reared into dragon form and began attacking Malchior with a fury

rarely seen in the skinny jokester. However, Malchior had the advantage of

being a real dragon with magical strength. Beast Boy soon began to tire and he

tried again and again to crush the dragon into the road.

Raven watched from where she had landed, her healing powers already kicking in,

mending her body. She looked on in pain, unable to do anything until she could

heal the ribs she knew to be broken. She knew that Beast Boy was tiring; she

could see the perspiration trickling down his face. Yet Malchior seemed to have

infinite amounts of energy continued to cackle through out the fight. This only

served to anger the jade Titan more. Finally, the pressure became too much for

Beast Boy and Machior sent him sailing into the buildings with a blow that Raven

knew could well be fatal.

Anger rose inside Raven like she hadn't felt since the day she fought her father.

Rising up in black swirls, she drew on all her energy reserves, power dripping

in black streams from her hands.

Suddenly, Malchior knew he was in trouble. The Titans were strewn about, knocked

back with swipes from his massive arms. And this seemed all that was needed to

anger the dark demoness.

Raven screamed in anger, thinking of Beast Boy lying in the rubble as she faced

the dragon. She reached out and blasted him with a volley of shots of black

magic. Malchior was knocked onto his back on the pavement. Raven was now

breathing heavily, but this didn't deter Raven. Raising her arms, she screamed

to the heavens,

"AZERATH METRION ZINTHOS!"

The amount of energy emanating from her began to cause lightning to fire

randomly into the sky. Raising her arms at Malchior, she formed a portal behind

him with one final scream flung him into it. Her anger now began to subside and

she collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.

When Raven awoke she found herself in her room, the familiar comfortable aura

hanging around it. Someone had cleared it up. Clearing out the strewn paper and

righting the furniture. That same someone was sat beside her; watching her

carefully as she opened her eyes and looked around.

Turning her eyes onto him, Ravens eyes filled with questioning and she threw

caution to the wind and flung her arms around him. "I thought you were dead!" She

gasped into a green skinned neck.

Beast Boy chuckled lightly. "So that's it, we wondered what got you so angry

Anyway, I came to say thank you. Cyborg had us in med rooms next to each other.

Then he came in the other day and I was healed. Poof! Internal bleeding;

ruptured lung, all gone! There was only one person it could have been." He said

smiling down at her as he lowered her back to the pillows. Raven batted his

arms away impatiently and scrambled to get up, despite his protests that she

should rest.

Getting straight up, Raven wobbled a bit and accepted his offer of an arm to

lean on as she walked down to the main room. She was met by cheers of

happiness. Starfire flew to her and enveloped her in a hug.

"Oh, my friend! I am so pleased you are well, I will go make the pudding of

happiness!" Then letting go of the chocking girl Starfire flew to the kitchen.

Robin and Cyborg started forward with their concerns about her welfare. But

stopped in surprise as they saw the position of Beast Boys arms; which were

wrapped around Ravens waist; and instead of trying to kill him she was smiling!

Raven leaned happily into Beast Boy, smirking at the gob smacked looks on the

other two boys faces. Beastboy ever the joker, tested just how much they could

make the other boys squirm and said casually to Raven, "Hey Raven, you wanna go

catch a movie?" Raven nodded and the two began to leave; laughing at the expression on Cyborg and Robins faces, who both looked like they were going to have some sort

of seizure.

Raven smiled, wincing as she heard something nearby explode, but Beast Boy shook

his head at her. "Don't worry about it; I think we can exchange a few broken light

Bulbs for you being happy." Then he casually leaned forward to kiss her. This

seemed to snap Cyborg out of his reverie and he snatched Beast Boy away

shouting,

"Right! Before you go anywhere with my little sister, we have a few thing to sort

out. Number one, you hurt her and Ill hurt you! Got it? Number two…"

Raven shook her head at the action and settled back to watch as Cyborg

described, in great detail to the young changeling exactly what he would do to

him if he ever so much as made her frown, let alone cry. Raven smiled, she had

a feeling that all of this really wasn't necessary. Beast Boy really wanted to

make her happy, and that in itself made her the happiest she had ever been.


End file.
